Americans United - school vouchershttps://www.au.org/tags/school-vouchers
en ACLU, Americans United Applaud Colorado Supreme Court Decision Striking Down Voucher Program Funding Religious Schoolshttps://www.au.org/media/press-releases/aclu-americans-united-applaud-colorado-supreme-court-decision-striking-down
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado applaud a decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that struck down a Douglas County school voucher program that had allowed taxpayer dollars to flow directly to religious schools.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.au.org/files/legal_docs/2015-06-29_DouglasCounty_COSupremeCourt.pdf" target="_blank">In a decision this morning</a> in Taxpayers for Public Education v. Douglas County School District, Colorado’s highest court ruled that the county’s so-called “Choice Scholarship Pilot Program” violates the Colorado Constitution because it improperly diverts public funds to private, religious schools. Citing Article IX, Section 7 of the state Constitution, the court explained, “[T]his stark constitutional provision makes one thing clear: A school district may not aid religious schools. Yet aiding religious schools is exactly what the [voucher program] does.”<br /><br />“It is unconstitutional to bankroll religious schools with public funds,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “But that is precisely what would have happened in Douglas County had the Colorado Supreme Court ruled otherwise.”<br /><br />“Parents are free to send their children to private religious schools if they wish, but the Colorado Supreme Court affirmed today that taxpayers should not be forced to pay for it,” said ACLU of Colorado Legal Director Mark Silverstein.<br /><br />Counsel for Petitioners, Matt Douglas, said that: “The court made clear that this type of program violates the plain language of the Colorado Constitution, and rejected the argument that temporarily passing the money through the hands of parents could avoid this specific prohibition.”<br /><br />The program provided 500 students with vouchers worth about $4,600, which could be spent on tuition at religious and other private schools. In order to obtain per-pupil educational funds from the state, Douglas County classified these children as “public school students” who attended a charter school that did not actually exist.<br /><br />In reality, the voucher money was spent at district-approved “Private School Partners,” a collection of private schools. As of the filing of the lawsuit, 16 of the 23 approved Private School Partners were sectarian. The court found that this violated the “broad, unequivocal language forbidding the State from using public money to fund religious schools.”<br /><br />“The Colorado Constitution provides very strong safeguards for the separation of church and state, and today’s decision preserves and honors those protections,” said Heather L. Weaver, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.<br /><br />In 2011, the civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit on behalf of parents, clergy and taxpayers. A lower court decided in their favor, but in 2013 the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the program.<br /><br />Plaintiffs were represented by Douglas, Timothy R. Macdonald, and Michelle K. Albert of Arnold &amp; Porter LLP; Alex J. Luchenitser and Ayesha N. Khan of Americans United; Weaver and Daniel Mach of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief; and Silverstein and Sara Rich of the ACLU of Colorado.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/vouchers">Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-government-aid-religious-schools">Other Government Aid to Religious Schools</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/private-school-vouchers">private school vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/voucherfail">voucherfail</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/colorado">Colorado</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/douglas-county">Douglas County</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/aclu">ACLU</a></span></div></div><h3 >Douglas County ‘Scholarship’ Scheme Is Unconstitutional, Civil Liberties Groups&nbsp;Say</h3>Mon, 29 Jun 2015 17:25:45 +0000Timothy Ritz11212 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/media/press-releases/aclu-americans-united-applaud-colorado-supreme-court-decision-striking-down#commentsTenn. Clergy Ramp Up To Spearhead Big Push For Vouchers https://www.au.org/church-state/january-2015-church-state/people-events/tenn-clergy-ramp-up-to-spearhead-big-push-for
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Christian clergy in Tennessee are pushing for the state to create a new voucher program that would benefit private schools.</p><p>Members of the group, which consists primarily of black churches, have been going door-to-door to collect signatures in support of creating a voucher program that they say would benefit low-income students. Critics assert that the primary beneficiaries would be sectarian schools.</p><p>WREG-TV, the CBS affiliate in Memphis, reported recently that mem­bers of the group claimed the vouchers are necessary to rescue kids from supposedly failing schools in Shelby County.</p><p>“The <em>Titanic</em> sank, but not everybody drowned,” Dr. Kenneth Whalum of the New Olivet Baptist Church, said. “For every school choice example that we have that’s a lifeboat for another child to escape a sinking titanic.”</p><p>Whalum, who has unsuccessfully run for mayor of Memphis, is a controversial figure in town. In 2009, a lesbian couple who visited his church was driven out by members who allegedly called them devil worshippers.</p><p>Voucher plans have failed in the Tennessee legislature in previous years.</p><p><em>In other news about vouchers:</em></p><p style="margin-left: 40px;"><strong>• Wisconsin lawmakers are looking to expand the state’s already extensive “school choice” program.</strong> The Wisconsin <em>State</em> <em>Journal</em> said that legislators are almost certain to grow the scheme in 2015, so the only real question that remains is: will schools that receive voucher students be held accountable for actually educating those students and spending their money appropriately?</p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">At least one lawmaker hopes that will be the case. Sen. Luther Olsen, (R-Ripon), has said “If you get a check, you get a checkup.”</p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">The newspaper said in an editorial that Gov. Scott Walker (R) and his allies may look to lower or even end the cap on vouchers in the next state budget, but if they do so they must come up with a process for assessing voucher schools and then implement consequences for schools that underperform.</p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">The editorial went to explain that vouchers don’t actually save taxpayers any money because while “a private school voucher costs less than Wisconsin’s per-pupil expense in public schools,” they also take badly needed funds away from public education.</p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">“When a traditional school district, for example, loses a handful of students to the voucher program, those dollars that follow those children aren’t easy to make up in savings,” the newspaper said. “A small district may still need the same number of teachers and facilities, even though its state aid falls by tens of thousands of dollars, based on lower enrollment spread across several grades.”</p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">But the most problematic thing about expanding vouchers in Wisconsin, said the <em>State Journal</em>, is that most new vouchers end up in the hands of students who already attend private schools – thanks to a decision to increase the qualifying household income level.</p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">“The statewide expansion should have been restricted to new students,” the newspaper said.</p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">People &amp; Events</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/vouchers">Vouchers</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-10769" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/wisconsin">Wisconsin</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tennessee">Tennessee</a></span></div></div>Wed, 31 Dec 2014 20:00:00 +0000Timothy Ritz10782 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/church-state/january-2015-church-state/people-events/tenn-clergy-ramp-up-to-spearhead-big-push-for#commentsFunding Fiasco: Orthodox Union Wants More Taxpayer Money For Religious Schoolshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/funding-fiasco-orthodox-union-wants-more-taxpayer-money-for-religious
<a href="/about/people/ms-sarah-jones">Sarah Jones</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">According to the Jewish Daily Forward, OU’s executive vice president, Allen Fagin, cited the financial burden imposed by private school tuition as a reason for the move.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A prominent Jewish group called the Orthodox Union (OU) <a href="http://forward.com/articles/211829/orthodox-union-launches-push-for-millions-in-fundi/">has announced at its annual conference</a> that it will lobby the state of New York to increase public funding for Jewish day schools and yeshivot – even though this raises some serious constitutional concerns.</p><p>According to the <em>Jewish Daily Forward</em>, OU’s executive vice president, Allen Fagin, cited the financial burden imposed by private school tuition as a reason for the move.<br /><br />“We all recognize that the real solution to the tuition crisis lies in using our political power and our advocacy efforts to increase state and local government funding for yeshivot and day schools,” Fagin said in a conference speech. “Their tuition bill is a burden on families and communities that has reached the breaking point.”<br /><br />He added, “Our goal is to transform the tuition landscape: to generate sufficient government funding for yeshivot and day schools to lower tuition costs in a meaningful way.”<br /><br />According to Fagin, the OU intends to launch what the <em>Forward </em>characterizes as “a multimillion dollar advocacy campaign” to advance their agenda. They’ve also retained a political strategist. <br /><br />The <em>Forward </em>notes that Jewish schools already receive some state funds, primarily for technology costs and mandatory attendance-taking. The First Amendment, however, forbids the state from directly funding religious education. That prohibition doesn’t appear to concern Fagin. </p><p>“It [the campaign] will require us to stop being timid,” he said. “We pay our taxes, and our kids are also entitled not to be left behind.”<br /><br />That statement, of course, is only half-true: Fagin’s constituents do pay their taxes, and their children are indeed entitled to an education. But that’s exactly what public schools are for. OU’s campaign relies on the same faulty logic we’ve seen from advocates of voucher programs: Because parents pay taxes, they should be able to ask every other taxpayer in the state to subsidize their child’s religious education. It’s a clear constitutional violation.<br /><br />But the burden OU’s campaign would impose on non-Orthodox families doesn’t rate much of a mention in Fagin’s speech – or on OU’s website. <a href="https://www.ou.org/life/education/beyond-possible-government-funding-day-schools-responsibility/">In a blog</a>, Maury Litwack, director of state political affairs for OU’s advocacy branch, encouraged Jewish schools to seek government funding <em>instead </em>of private funding as a means to resolve budget crises.<br /><br />“The legislative will exists, and the government has proven to be an effective source of funding to Jewish education,” Litwack wrote. “The Jewish day school world must treat government funding as more than just a debate over constitutionality and the potential for big funding.”<br /><br />He also positively cited voucher programs and tuition tax credit programs in other states for funding Jewish schools.</p><p>But members of the Orthodox community don’t always rely on voucher programs to channel public funds to religious schools. In November, <em>The New York Times </em>reported that Orthodox members of the East Ramapo Central School District (also in New York) <a href="https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/school-swindle-ny-board-makes-private-education-its-top-priority">allocated a significant portion</a> of the school budget to local yeshivot, forcing public schools to cut programs and eliminate 245 teaching positions. The situation is so dire that a special monitor has recommended that the state appoint fiscal oversight for the district in order to ensure that public schools are properly funded.<br /><br />Public schools in Lakewood, N.J., are facing a similar crisis. Funding for Orthodox day schools <a href="http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/new-jersey/60457-why-a-spike-in-private-school-enrollment-is-costing-lakewood-public-schools-more">has increased</a> at the expense of public school budgets. Although some of these practices are currently legal—like funding for transportation to and from private religious schools—there’s no question that public school families are already fronting the costs of Orthodox Jewish education in more than one state.<br /><br />That’s exactly the sort of situation the First Amendment is designed to prevent. It’s unconscionable (and exceptionally brazen) for OU to demand that further funds be siphoned away from public schools intended to serve entire communities in order to promote their private religious agenda. If Orthodox parents want to place their children in religious schools, that’s their right. And it’s their responsibility to pay for it.</p><p>P.S. The “Wall of Separation” will be on hiatus until January 2. Happy New Year!</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-government-aid-religious-schools">Other Government Aid to Religious Schools</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/orthodox-union">Orthodox Union</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-york">New York</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-jersey">new jersey</a></span></div></div>Wed, 31 Dec 2014 17:27:10 +0000Ms. Sarah Jones10797 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/funding-fiasco-orthodox-union-wants-more-taxpayer-money-for-religious#commentsMisleading Minorities: Voucher Advocates Hope To Win African American and Latino Support With ‘School Choice’https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/misleading-minorities-voucher-advocates-hope-to-win-african-american-and
<a href="/about/people/ms-sarah-jones">Sarah Jones</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today proposed sweeping legislation that would direct $24 billion in public funds to block grants for state voucher programs. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>It’s National School Choice Week, and voucher advocates continue to push their ideological agenda at the highest levels of government. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today proposed sweeping legislation that would direct $24 billion in public funds to block grants for state voucher programs. Families living under the poverty line would receive an average of $2,100 per eligible child to apply toward tuition at any accredited school.<br /><br />That’s a substantial chunk of the federal government’s total education funding, and if the bill passes as proposed, there will be no oversight to govern just how it’s being spent. <em>The</em> <em>Washington Post </em><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/gop-measure-would-promote-school-choice-with-federal-funding/2014/01/27/7fd52e7e-8778-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?tid=auto_complete">reports</a> that schools in receipt of government funds wouldn’t have to report whether they’re passing or failing.<br /><br />Even worse: They also wouldn’t have to follow current federal strategies for improving failing schools. That would effectively exempt voucher schools from landmark bills like No Child Left Behind and Race To The Top, and it would leave the government without any means to ensure that its education funds are actually being used for their intended purpose.<br /><br />Alexander’s colleague, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) proposed another school choice bill that would specifically allocate government funds to students with disabilities and military families.<br /><br />They’re extreme proposals, but they’re not without precedent. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), long a supporter of vouchers, has proposed similar legislation in the past, and so has U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).<br /><br />Education policy expert Diane Ravitch flatly condemned the bill on her <a href="http://dianeravitch.net/2014/01/28/lamar-alexander-proposes-sweeping-voucher-legislation/">blog</a>. “Bottom line: the Alexander plan will destroy public education in the U.S.,” she wrote. “Do not be fooled: this is not a conservative plan. This is a radical plan. It will send public dollars to backwoods churches and ambitious entrepreneurs.”<br /><br />The plan’s backers would like the public to believe it’s really about helping minority students. Frederick Hess, a researcher at the pro-voucher American Enterprise Institute, told <em>The</em> <em>Post</em>, “Even on vouchers, African American and Latino legislators and parents are going to be excited. It’s a natural opportunity for Republicans.”<br /><br />The Republican Party, of course, does not traditionally succeed in capturing minority votes. And vouchers do not traditionally succeed in capturing any votes at all. In fact, there’s widespread public opposition to the concept of “school choice.”<br /><br />A recent PDK/Gallup <a href="https://www.au.org/files/pdf_documents/2013_PDKGallup.pdf">poll</a> showed that 70% of Americans oppose voucher programs. That’s the highest number recorded in the poll’s 45 year history. And vouchers haven’t fared any better at the ballot box.</p><p>Voucher initiatives have failed every time they’ve been put to a public vote, with opposition spanning all racial groups. When voucher programs become law, it’s because legislators have prioritized an ideological agenda over the wishes of their constituents.<br /><br />It’s obvious that there’s no public mandate for vouchers. And these programs certainly don’t help minority students. In Washington, D.C., administrators couldn’t account for <a href="http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/2009-03-17_2007_GAO_Report_Summary.pdf">one out of every five</a> voucher students. What’s more, students from failing public schools – often schools with majority African-American student bodies – were “underrepresented” in the voucher program. And there’s evidence that these schools are failing <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/16672-racist-school-closings-in-washington-dc">partially due</a> to the voucher program, which has directed student numbers, and funding, away from already troubled public schools.<br /><br />These results aren’t unique. The Department of Justice, concerned by evidence that Louisiana’s voucher program had effectively re-segregated its public schools, <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/doj-abandons-suit-against-louisiana-school-voucher-program_767878.html">requested</a> in November that a federal court review the situation.<br /><br />And in North Carolina, a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/16/north-carolina-vouchers-lawsuit_n_4454624.html">coalition</a> of parents, teachers, and school districts filed suit against the state’s voucher program. Among their <a href="http://www.ncjustice.org/sites/default/files/VoucherComplaint.pdf">complaints</a>: the program violated provisions of the state constitution prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender or disability. Voucher schools, unlike public schools, are exempt from these anti-discrimination standards.<br /><br />Ravitch is right: The Alexander plan is about destroying public education, not helping minority students. And if the GOP thinks its support for “school choice” will win the minority votes it so desperately seeks, it’s delusional. It’s time to acknowledge reality and put the failed voucher agenda to bed. Students deserve better.<br /> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/vouchers">Vouchers</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/lamar-alexander">Lamar Alexander</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tim-scott">Tim Scott</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span></div></div>Tue, 28 Jan 2014 19:35:16 +0000Ms. Sarah Jones9594 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/misleading-minorities-voucher-advocates-hope-to-win-african-american-and#commentsMissed Opportunity: North Carolina’s Voucher Program Likely To Fund Homeschoolshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/missed-opportunity-north-carolina-s-voucher-program-likely-to-fund
<a href="/about/people/ms-sarah-jones">Sarah Jones</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Because of idiosyncrasies in its education laws, North Carolina’s “Opportunity Scholarships” aren’t just available to private schools; they’ll also be available for homeschools.
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Supporters of North Carolina’s new voucher program say its “Opportunity Scholarships” are intended to benefit the state’s most disadvantaged students. This is common rhetoric from school choice advocates, who base their arguments on the assumption that private schools always offer students a better education.<br /><br />Public school teachers are understandably unconvinced and have launched a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/16/north-carolina-vouchers-lawsuit_n_4454624.html">legal battle</a> challenging the program’s constitutionality. But there’s an added twist to the state’s voucher saga.<br /><br />Because of idiosyncrasies in its education laws, North Carolina’s “Opportunity Scholarships” aren’t just available to private schools; they’ll also be available for homeschools.<br /><br />As <a href="http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2013/12/12/taxpayer-funds-may-be-funneled-to-home-schools-through-school-vouchers/">reported</a> by NC Policy Watch, which opposes the voucher proposal, the legal distinctions between private and homeschools are notoriously weak in the Tar Heel State. Although registered private schools are subject to slightly more regulation than homeschools, they can still operate in a single home, which means they effectively function as homeschools regardless of the paperwork they’ve filed with the state.<br /><br />In its report, the advocacy group highlighted the case of Paramount Christian Academy. At its height, the school boasted a student body of a whopping 15 and held classes in a local Baptist church. That number has dropped to 3, and students attend class in the home of its only teacher, Carol Miller – who’s also the grandparent of the one of the students.<br /><br />When asked if her “school” met basic fire and safety guidelines, Miller responded, “Well, I’ve called the fire department.…I do need to get them out here at some point. The health department too.” <br /><br />As for academic standards, Miller’s three students benefit from the offerings of Bob Jones University Press and A Beka, a Christian curriculum produced by fundamentalist Pensacola Christian College in Florida.<br /><br />Paramount Christian Academy clearly doesn’t function as an established private school. It’s a homeschool in all but name. But regulations are so weak, and so loosely enforced, that the state hasn’t even bothered to ensure that it meets basic standards.<br /><br />Nevertheless, it’s eligible to receive public funds in 2014, thanks to the efforts of voucher advocates.<br /><br />To add a further complication, the state’s also recently <a href="http://m.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/12/north-carolina-home-schools-public-vouchers">amended</a> its laws for homeschools, too. Homeschool students can now be taught by adults who aren’t their legal guardians. That further blurs the practical differences between private and homeschools in the state and makes it even likelier that the “Opportunity Scholarships” will actually go to homeschooling parents and students.<br /><br />That’s particularly troubling given the context. Homeschooling in the state of North Carolina has a checkered history. At last count, there have been nine reported incidents of severe <a href="http://hsinvisiblechildren.org/2013/11/19/5-children-of-wanda-sue-larson-and-dorian-harper/">abuse</a>, even <a href="http://hsinvisiblechildren.org/2013/05/09/zahra-baker/">deaths</a>, in homeschool families.<br /><br />One child, Erica Parsons, went <a href="http://hsinvisiblechildren.org/2013/09/10/erica-lynn-parsons/">missing</a> from her homeschool family in 2011, but thanks to lax regulation by the state, her absence went unnoticed by officials until an older brother reported her missing this year. Erica still has not been located.<br /><br />While these cases certainly aren’t indicative of all homeschool families, they do reveal the potential consequences of the state’s failure to adequately monitor and evaluate homeschools. Yet under the guise of school reform, North Carolina’s government has steadily eroded the differences between homeschools and private schools, and in doing so, made it substantially easier for public money to find its way into someone’s living room.<br /><br />Children deserve access to quality education in a safe academic environment. On this, we should all be able to agree. But North Carolina’s “Opportunity Scholarships” will not provide this access. Instead, they’ll fund sectarian educations in potentially unsafe environments.<br /><br />So much for opportunity.<br /> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/vouchers">Vouchers</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/north-carolina">north carolina</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/homeschooling">homeschooling</a></span></div></div>Wed, 18 Dec 2013 17:12:14 +0000Ms. Sarah Jones9355 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/missed-opportunity-north-carolina-s-voucher-program-likely-to-fund#commentsEqual Education: N.C. Christian School Rejects Vouchers After Discrimination Fight https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/equal-education-nc-christian-school-rejects-vouchers-after-discrimination
<a href="/about/people/ms-sarah-jones">Sarah Jones</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Myrtle Grove Christian School had been approved to receive funds through the state’s new “Opportunity Scholarship” program, but under its ‘Biblical morality policy,’ it refuses admission to LGBT students and even the straight children of LGBT parents.
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A North Carolina private school will <a href="http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2013/12/09/anti-gay-christian-school-wont-accept-school-vouchers/">refuse</a> voucher money after a public outcry over its anti-gay policies. Myrtle Grove Christian School had been approved to receive funds through the state’s new “Opportunity Scholarship” program, but under its ‘Biblical morality policy,’ it refuses admission to LGBT students and even the straight children of LGBT parents.<br /><br />Critics called it state-funded discrimination.<br /><br />After gay rights groups staged protests over Myrtle Grove’s eligibility for the funds, the school finally bowed to public pressure and opted out of the voucher program.<br /><br />In a letter to parents, headmaster Stacey Miller <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20131206/ARTICLES/131209808/1177?Title=Christian-school-to-refuse-state-money-over-anti-gay-policy">wrote</a>, “While we are grateful that this new program will enable more parents in North Carolina to make the school choices that they believe are best for their children, Myrtle Grove will continue to make scholarship opportunities available solely through private funding sources.”<br /><br />The move spares North Carolina taxpayers from funding the school’s anti-gay bias. But although Myrtle Grove will no longer accept vouchers, hundreds of sectarian private schools with policies just like Myrtle Grove’s are still eligible to receive taxpayer dollars in North Carolina and other states. It’s a common problem for voucher programs.<br /><br />Georgia’s voucher program, for example, found itself under intense public scrutiny earlier this year, after a report from the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) revealed that many of the state’s religious voucher schools had explicitly discriminatory policies against gay students and families. According to SEF, at least 115 <a href="http://www.southerneducation.org/getattachment/135f0b35-4738-441e-a2ac-013eaa255183/Georgia%E2%80%99s-Tax-Dollars-Help-Finance-Private-Schools.aspx">schools</a> had anti-gay policies—and the real number is likely higher.<br /><br />That means that in Georgia alone, thousands of students are affected by these policies. “These anti-gay policies and practices among tax-supported schools do far more than condemn gay students for who they are,” the report reads. “They affirmatively deny gay students (and often other students who may openly tolerate or defend gay students) admission to educational institutions receiving public funds.”<br /><br />Sectarian schools often defend these policies with scriptural references. Cumberland Christian Academy cites1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19, and Ephesians 5:3 in its anti-gay policy. And Hebron Christian Academy’s policy reveals another motivation. Its handbook reads, “It is the goal of HCA that each employee and student will display conduct which will cause others to want to know Jesus Christ in a personal relationship.”<br /><br />Discrimination, proselytization—it’s all funded directly by Georgia taxpayers in the name of “school choice.” And voucher advocates have made it difficult to gauge the real scale of the problem.<br /><br />In its coverage of the SEF report, <em>The</em> <em>New York Times</em> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/education/georgia-backed-scholarships-benefit-schools-barring-gays.html?_r=0">stated</a>, “There is little state oversight of those organizations. The Georgia legislature in 2011 tightened the rules regarding how much information about the program the Department of Revenue, which keeps track of the money, can make public.”<br /><br />Although it might be difficult to track exactly how many voucher schools practice anti-gay discrimination, North Carolina’s decision to award voucher funds to Myrtle Grove, is evidence that this constitutional violation isn’t unique to Georgia’s voucher program.<br /><br />The school’s rejection of voucher funds is certainly a victory, but a small one. Publicly-funded discrimination is a systemic problem, and it won’t be resolved as long as sectarian schools are still allowed to draw on the public purse.<br /><br />Gay rights groups like Equality NC have vowed to <a href="http://equalitync.org/latest/blog/we_won_the_battle_help_win_the_war/">continue</a> the fight against anti-gay voucher schools. At Americans United, we hope they do. As long as sectarian schools rely on vouchers, they have to abide by the same laws governing any publicly funded institution.<br /><br />That means equal treatment for LGBT students.<br /> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/vouchers">Vouchers</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gay-rights">Gay Rights</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/north-carolina">north carolina</a></span></div></div>Wed, 11 Dec 2013 16:41:32 +0000Ms. Sarah Jones9341 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/equal-education-nc-christian-school-rejects-vouchers-after-discrimination#commentsFalse Choice: Wisc. Private Schools Are Happy To Take Tax Money But Don’t Want Certain Studentshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/false-choice-wisc-private-schools-are-happy-to-take-tax-money-but-don-t
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Private schools (most of which are religious) are happy to take all of the taxpayer money they can get their hands on. But they don’t want any accountability, oversight or regulation.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Supporters of school voucher schemes love to throw around the world “choice.”</p><p>“You’ll get to send your child to the school of your choice!” they blare. To a lot of people, it sounds good. After all, everyone likes having choices, right?</p><p>Unfortunately, all of the rhetoric in the world doesn’t do you any good when it comes to vouchers because you don’t really have the choice. The private school does. Many of those schools will simply choose not to admit your child.</p><p>Some parents in Wisconsin are learning that the hard way.</p><p>WisconsinWatch.org, a project of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism,<a href="http://www.wisconsinwatch.org/2013/07/07/in-some-choice-schools-disabilities-are-liability/"> recently took a hard look at vouchers</a> in the Badger State, specifically how students with learning disabilities and other challenges are faring in private schools.</p><p>The answer is not too well – because the private schools taking part in the voucher program mostly refuse to serve them.</p><p>The author of the piece, Rory Linnane, interviewed Milwaukee resident Kim Fitzer, whose daughter Trinity suffers from medical and behavioral issues.</p><p>Fitzer used a voucher worth $6,442 to enroll Trinity in Northwest Catholic School for kindergarten during the 2011-12 academic year. In March of 2012, the school expelled Trinity, citing “continuing behavior issues” – but it kept the money.</p><p>Not surprisingly, Trinity ended up in a public school. There she was enrolled in a program designed to meet her special needs, although the school didn’t get any extra money to help her.</p><p>This has been a problem with just about every voucher plan in the country. The private schools (most of which are religious) are happy to take all of the taxpayer money they can get their hands on. But they don’t want any accountability, oversight or regulation. Furthermore, they demand the right to deny admission to or expel students as they see fit.</p><p>“The problem with the voucher program is that it cherry-picks which students it’s going to take,” Rep. Cory Mason, a Racine Democrat, told WisconsinWatch. “That’s not really a public education system, when you’re not opening it up to everyone and giving everyone a chance to participate.”</p><p>Jane Audette, a social worker at Hawthorne Elementary School, a public school located just one block away from Northwest Catholic, noted that every year Hawthorne ends up enrolling several “cast-off” students from Northwest Catholic and other private schools who are in need of special-education services.</p><p>“What has happened over and over with Northwest Catholic is they will tell a parent, ‘Your child needs more than we can give your child, so we suggest you go down the street to Hawthorne,’” Audette said.</p><p>Wisconsin’s voucher program is currently limited to Milwaukee and Racine. In Racine, schools taking part in the “choice” program reported enrolling a grand total of one student with a disability. By contrast, the Racine Unified School District reports that about 18 percent of its students have disabilities.</p><p>The situation has gotten so bad that the American Civil Liberties Union and Disability Rights Wisconsin are suing the state. Their complaint asserts, “The voucher schools tend not to admit or accommodate students with disabilities.”</p><p>The complaint cites an anonymous parent who sought to enroll her son in Messmer Catholic Schools in Milwaukee. The boy needed speech therapy, and she was told not to even bother; he’d have to get that in the Milwaukee Public Schools.</p><p>Incredibly, under Wisconsin’s voucher law, private schools get to keep half of the voucher as long as a student is enrolled on the third Friday of September. They get to keep the entire amount if the student is enrolled on the second Friday in January.</p><p>You can guess what happens: Students with disabilities are enrolled in private schools and then kicked out once those deadlines are met and the check is safely in the bank.</p><p>“We have seen that children with behavioral issues are signed into a voucher school, and once they get past the third Friday – the Kodak moment for determining headcount – there’s a phenomenon that occurs that students are no longer able to participate in the private school,” said Gary Myrah, executive director of the Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services, a group that represents special-education professionals.</p><p>Vouchers have a lengthy history in Wisconsin. When the program first took hold in the early 1990s, Americans United and other groups warned that private schools would demand tax funds and resist any attempt to hold them accountable. That is exactly what is happening. Yet legislators refuse to do the right thing and put some brakes on the program. In fact, they are expanding it statewide.</p><p>For Trinity, the story has a happy ending. She’s taking part in a special program in her public school and is doing well. About 10 weeks from now, a new flock of special-needs kids will likely be unceremoniously tossed out of “choice” schools despite the vouchers their parents have in hand.</p><p>We can only hope they manage to land on their feet as well.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/vouchers">Vouchers</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/wisconsin">Wisconsin</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/northwest-catholic-school">Northwest Catholic School</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rory-linnane">Rory Linnane</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/kim-fitzer">Kim Fitzer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gary-myrah">Gary Myrah</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/wisconsin-council-of-administrators-of-special-services">Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/cory-mason">Cory Mason</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jane-audette">Jane Audette</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/hawthorne-elementary-school">Hawthorne Elementary School</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span></div></div>Wed, 10 Jul 2013 17:18:44 +0000Rob Boston8750 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/false-choice-wisc-private-schools-are-happy-to-take-tax-money-but-don-t#commentsBobby’s Bad-News Buds: Louisiana Gov. Jindal Is ‘One Of The Family’ At Religious Right HQhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bobby-s-bad-news-buds-louisiana-gov-jindal-is-one-of-the-family-at
<a href="/about/people/joseph-l-conn">Joseph L. Conn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jindal is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Louisiana Family Forum (LFF) and its Religious Right allies. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Bobby Jindal knows better. The Louisiana governor majored in biology and public policy at Brown University, and he was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. So why is he defending the teaching of religious concepts in public school science classes?</p><p>Last Friday, in an interview with NBC’s Hoda Kotb, Jindal <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/15/louisiana-governor-ive-got-no-problem-with-creationism-in-public-schools/">said he is perfectly fine </a>with sneaking a little fundamentalist theology into the regular biology curriculum. </p><p>“We have,” he said, “what’s called the [Louisiana] Science Education Act that says that if a teacher wants to supplement those materials, if the school board is okay with that, if the state school board is okay with that, they can supplement those materials.</p><p>“Bottom line, at the end of the day, we want our kids to be exposed to the best facts,” Jindal continued. “Let’s teach them about the Big Bang theory, let’s teach them about evolution, let’s teach them — I’ve got no problem if a school board, a local school board, says we want to teach our kids about creationism, that people, some people, have these beliefs as well, let’s teach them about ‘intelligent design.’”</p><p>There you have it. Jindal, in one swoop, dismisses sound science education and church-state separation. In his view, it’s perfectly fine to indoctrinate children in the tenets of religion in public school science class! Amazing!</p><p>When the Louisiana legislature passed the misnamed Science Education Act in 2008, top science, education and civil liberties leaders begged Jindal to veto the bill. Even some of his former professors joined the throng.</p><p>According to<a href="http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/science_law_could_set_tone_for.html"> the <em>Times-Picayune</em></a>, Arthur Landy, who taught Jindal at Brown, released a statement saying “Gov. Jindal was a good student in my class when he was thinking about becoming a doctor, and I hope he doesn't do anything that would hold back the next generation of Louisiana's doctors."</p><p>Jindal ignored the experts and signed the measure into law.</p><p>How do we explain this? It’s easy. Jindal is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Louisiana Family Forum (LFF) and its Religious Right allies. He was elected with strong support from the state’s fundamentalist political forces, and he misses no opportunity to pay them back. His staff has included Religious Right operatives, and he has appointed those folks to commissions and government agencies.</p><p>Jindal even <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/december-2008-church-state/people-events/louisiana-governor-takes-state-helicopter-on">jetted around the state</a> at taxpayer expense to campaign – oops, I mean, worship – at fundamentalist churches. (Jindal is Roman Catholic, but when it comes to evangelizing voters, he gets downright ecumenical.)</p><p>In addition to signing the anti-evolution law, Jindal has ramrodded through the legislature a radical voucher <a href="https://www.au.org/media/press-releases/louisiana-voucher-plan-forces-taxpayers-to-subsidize-religious-instruction-says">scheme that funds religious schools </a>– even schools that teach religion in science class. Even schools that think the Loch Ness Monster is swimming about in Scotland. Even schools that teach racially offensive concepts in history and geography. (The voucher scheme is being challenged at the Louisiana Supreme Court right now.)</p><p>As <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/us/02jindal.html?_r=3&amp;scp=1&amp;sq=bobby%20jindal&amp;st=cse&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&amp;"><em>The New York Times</em> reported </a>back in 2008, “At the [LFF’s] modest offices here, Mr. Jindal is seen as practically one of the family.”</p><p>The Rev. Gene Mills, LFF executive director, told <em>The Times</em>, “I believe there are some philosophical principles we share, that naturally put us closer. There are a lot of shared values.”</p><p>And what are those values? The LFF says it seeks to apply “biblical principles” to all government policies. In practice, that means taxpayer funding for religious schools and ministries, religion in public schools, a ban on abortion, no civil rights for gay people, etc.</p><p>Nothing has changed since that <em>Times </em>article five years ago. The governor is still doing the Religious Right’s bidding at every turn.</p><p>In December of 2012, for example, Jindal issued <a href="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/20dc9be01946aff7364f31092/files/JindalProclamation.pdf">a proclamation asking </a>the “One True God” to “establish and bless a New Louisiana, to release His grace upon us, to cleanse and heal our land of all unrighteousness, to fill this land with His glory, and to expand the redemptive influences of our state beyond our borders so that His glory may be known through us in the earth.”</p><p>In other words, Jindal wants to make his little Louisiana theocracy a divinely mandated model for other states. (BTW, the folks the governor issued this particular proclamation for are on the religious-political fringes. Our friends in Louisiana say they appear to be part of the Apostolic Prayer Network/Intercessors for Louisiana crowd that wages “spiritual warfare” for total fundamentalist control of the government.)</p><p>Jindal usually doesn’t publicly play up his ties to the Religious Right, of course. That might rankle Americans who support strong public schools where their kids can get a decent education. It also might irritate folks who believe in an America where the government doesn’t play favorites when it comes to faith and all Americans are equal regardless of what you believe about religion.</p><p>But don’t be fooled. Jindal is the front man for a movement that wants to base our government on “biblical principles,” not church-state separation, and that’s downright scary.</p><p>PS: Student activist <a href="http://www.repealcreationism.com/">Zack Kopplin, </a>the <a href="http://lasciencecoalition.org/">Louisiana Coalition for Science</a> and the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/aulouisianachapter/">Louisiana AU Chapter </a>are campaigning to expose the attacks on science education in the Pelican State. They would like to see the Science Education Act repealed, although that’s an uphill struggle in the legislature.</p><p> </p><p> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/creationism-evolution">Creationism &amp; Evolution</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/vouchers">Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/descriptions-and-activities-religious-right-groups">Descriptions and Activities of Religious Right Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/bobby-jindal">Bobby Jindal</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/louisiana-family-forum">Louisiana Family Forum</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gene-mills">Gene Mills</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/creationism">creationism</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Location:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/our-work/grassroots/louisiana">Louisiana</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-chapter field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Chapters:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/chapters/louisiana">Louisiana</a></div></div></div>Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:38:38 +0000Joseph L. Conn8297 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bobby-s-bad-news-buds-louisiana-gov-jindal-is-one-of-the-family-at#commentsPluck Of The Irish: Government Plans Move Away From Church Control Of Schoolshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/pluck-of-the-irish-government-plans-move-away-from-church-control-of
<a href="/about/people/simon-brown">Simon Brown</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Public schools should be open and welcoming to all, something that’s impossible when a single religious group controls the system. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Some members of the Catholic hierarchy have ranted that religious freedom is under attack in the United States, but now one of Europe’s most devoutly Catholic countries is looking for inspiration from America’s tradition of church-state separation.</p><p><em>The Washington Post </em>reported yesterday that Ireland’s education minister, Ruairi Quinn <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/cardinals-resignation-fuels-crisis-of-churchs-moral-authority/2013/02/25/7ea1e346-7f8e-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story_1.html">wants to implement a gradual shift away from Catholic Church dominance over nearly all public schools.</a></p><p>Quinn indicated that religion does best in places like the United States where the church doesn’t have government power.</p><p>“The country in which religion has strived most strongly is where church and state are separated,” Quinn said. “The countries where religion is languishing either through neglect or indifference are those European countries which previously were dominated or controlled by the Catholic Church such as Portugal, Italy, Spain, not to mention Ireland.”</p><p>This shift away from church control of Ireland’s public schools <a href="http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Catholic-church-to-lose-stronghold-on-Irish-education-system-118832599.html">has been in the works for some time</a>. Back in 2011, Quinn set up a group to figure out how most of the country’s schools could be moved away from church patronage and said that his goal was to switch half of Ireland’s schools from church control to an alternative guardianship, <em>Irish Central</em> said.</p><p>The publication noted that in 2011, the Catholic hierarchy controlled about 90 percent of Ireland’s 3,200 primary schools.</p><p>It’s likely that Quinn’s plan has been sped up by a series of church scandals (including most recently the resignation of Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Britain’s top Catholic leader who is now accused of “intimate” acts with priests). </p><p>But regardless of the motivation, Quinn is really onto something: public schools should be open and welcoming to all, something that’s impossible when a single religious group controls the system.</p><p>Ironically, in many American states like Louisiana, Indiana, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Texas, legislators are moving away from a public school system controlled by the taxpayers toward a system in which voucher-subsidized private schools are controlled by religious authorities.</p><p>There is no evidence that a religion-run system provides better education than the public schools, but some lawmakers don’t care – they want to support their favorite faiths using your money whether you like it or not.</p><p>In the long run, merging religious education and public dollars will be bad for education and bad for religion. Just ask the Irish.</p><p>Separation of church and state is a great idea because it protects both faith and democratic government from harm. The Irish have realized that the United States offers a model that looks out for the interests of all faiths and those who have no faith, meaning everyone can observe or not observe religion as they see fit.</p><p>It’s a shame that some lawmakers in this country haven’t learned to value this concept the way the Irish have. </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/creationism-evolution">Creationism &amp; Evolution</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/bibles-and-religious-texts-curricula">Bibles and Religious Texts in Curricula</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/vouchers">Vouchers</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ruairi-quinn">Ruairi Quinn</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/cardinal-keith-obrien">Cardinal Keith O&#039;Brien</a></span></div></div>Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:36:48 +0000Simon Brown8084 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/pluck-of-the-irish-government-plans-move-away-from-church-control-of#commentsSchool Vouchers a Bad Ideahttps://www.au.org/media/in-the-news/school-vouchers-a-bad-idea
<div class="field field-name-field-news-source field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Wilson County News</div></div></div>Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:15:09 +0000Joseph L. Conn8076 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/media/in-the-news/school-vouchers-a-bad-idea#comments